Dine With Me
by ShipperQueen93
Summary: Mr. Gold offers Belle a deal. She may use his country club for her part on one condition. She has to go to diner with him once a week until the party. Prequel to Dance With Me.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **Here's the first chapter of Dine With Me. There are going to be, roughly, nine chapters in this fic. I had a bit of trouble getting this chapter out. I'm going to try and work on Family Bonds next, no I haven't forgotten about it. The plan is to alternate chapters between the two series. For now I hope you enjoy this.

**Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT**

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"What?!"

Roman Gold did his best to conceal the smirk sliding onto his features, but he only had so much control, and his lips twisted upwards. The outrage and confusion on Storybrooke's librarian's and, to a lesser extent, her two friends the diner trollop and the sickeningly sweet school teacher, faces were quite amusing.

"I thought that, since you're the librarian, you would understand simple English Miss French. But as apparently I was incorrect in my assumption I will repeat myself. You and Mrs Nolan may use my club for your silly little party."

From the corner of his eye Gold could see Miss Lucas whispering into the ear of Mrs Nolan but he paid them no mind. His focus was on the petite librarian who was glaring at him so hard that, if looks could kill, he'd be six feet under. "I know what you said Gold. I want to know why you've changed your mind."

"I thought you'd be ecstatic at the news, now you can host your little dance at the club. Haven't you been bugging me about this for the last week? "

"Yes, and haven't you been denying us for that last week? Why change your mind now? What are you playing at Gold?"

He didn't know if he should be impressed or annoyed at her bold comments. No one, except Regina, ever spoke back to him. Yet here was this little slip of a woman standing in front of him challenging him with a raised eyebrow. Then again this was the same girl who not even twenty-four hours previously had been shouting at him for being such a bastard. She didn't fear him like the rest of the town did, which is why he was standing in the library offering her want she wanted...in a way.

"I'm not 'playing at' anything Miss French. I am simply granting your request."

Miss Lucas whispered something in Belle's ear but the latter waved her off, not even sparring her a glance. She was still regarding him with a cold look as though trying to get a read on him. "What's your price Gold?"

He chuckled slightly, and noted the flash of annoyance in her eyes at the sound, "I'm afraid I don't understand Miss French. Why would you assume there's a price?"

Belle gave a disparaging snort and rolled her eyes. "Because you always have a price Gold. You don't do anything unless you get something out of it. So I'll ask again since I obviously overestimated your grasp of the English language. What's your price?"

Gold smiled a cold, shark's teeth grin. He quite enjoyed the fact that she was brassy enough to taunt him and throw his words back in his face. Her friends didn't seem to be the same however. Miss Lucas was once again whispering in Belle's ear while Mrs Nolan had her head buried in her hands as if she couldn't believe what just came out of her friend's mouth. Yet like before she didn't pay them any mind, focusing on him and raising an eyebrow at him once more.

"Very well Dearie. If you insist upon a price, you will have dinner with me once a week, until your event, to keep me up to date on everything."

The response was immediate. The Lucas girl shouted out that he was a pervert while Mrs. Nolan pulled Belle away, as if the few extra feet difference would matter. As amusing as their reaction was however, it wasn't them he cared about. No, he wanted to see how Belle would respond to the price he demanded.

He watched her closely and she didn't seem disgusted as Miss Lucas had nor fearful like Mrs. Nolan. Instead, he caught a brief glimpse of shock flit across her face before it was replaced by the same questioning look she wore before. The look that meant she was trying to get a read on him but was failing. "Well Miss French do we have a deal?"

"Of course not you sick pervert!" The Lucas girl was almost shaking in anger as she herded Belle around so that her back faced him, she and Mrs. Nolan closing ranks around her. "Belle you don't have to do this. We can always find another place for the Gala. Maybe if we could talk to Granny..." Belle's laugh cut off the whispered suggestion.

"Rubes you've got to be kidding. There's no room at Granny's, not unless you guys have magically created a ball room since I was there this morning." The taller woman flushed under the truth of Belle's comments. "Well we could petition to use City Hall?" Belle's laugh at the question from the school teacher voiced his own amusement at the idea. "Oh, and have to deal with Regina? I'm sure Madam Mayor would just love to help us out. Face it. Gold may be a bastard but we don't have anywhere else to go."

The two girls sputtered out more excuses but Belle shot down each one until they ran out of even the most absurd of ideas. When they finally lapsed into silence, Belle turned back to him, her face set into hard lines. Gold smirked and copied her movement from before, raising an eyebrow at her questioningly. "Do we have a deal then?"

Belle seemed to be gritting her teeth to keep back some comment but eventually nodded. "We have a deal, but I want a contract drawn up. I want to make sure there are no loop holes for you to weasel through."

Chuckling slightly, Gold slipped his hand into his jacket and pulled the contract he had made up earlier out of his inner pocket. It didn't surprise him that she would want something binding him to his word, she knew enough about him to know that while he always kept to his word, he didn't always mean what people thought. Anticipating this, he had made sure to come prepared. "Very well Miss French. I'll just need your signature then."

Belle's eyes narrowed as she regarded the contract he handed her, "You knew this would happen didn't you?" He gave a small shrug, the slight smile at the corner of his mouth belying the expression however. "I know how to recognize a desperate soul." A chuckle was on its way to leave his mouth as she ripped the contract away from his hand with a glare but it was stopped when she sat down at her desk and started reading.

"What are you doing?" He couldn't help the question that slipped out. She couldn't actually be reading the contract, no one did.

She looked up briefly with a flash of a smirk on her full lips and for the first time in forever Gold was speechless."You don't honestly expect me to sign without reading it do you?"

Yes, yes he did. Everyone did. No one ever read the fine print when it came to making deals with him and they suffered for it. Then again everything he knew about this woman told him she wasn't like the rest of the dunderheaded town of Storybrooke. He already garnered the knowledge that she didn't trust him to keep his word, so it shouldn't be a surprise that she would read through for any loopholes.

"No, this wont do." Belle's accent cut through his thoughts, as did the scratch of a pen against paper. Focusing once more on the little librarian he found her crossing out part of the contract. If it hadn't been for the presence of Miss Lucas and Mrs Nolan, Gold was sure he'd have been staring dumbfounded at Belle as she added in her own condition into the contract. As it were, he barely was able keep his voice calm. "Just what do you think you're doing Dearie?"

Belle didn't even look up at him as she crossed out another part of the contract. "Some of these conditions are ridiculous. I can't be expected just to drop everything just for these meetings. I'm free Thursday nights, we'll have them then."

He wanted to protest, to declare that it was in his right to decide when they would have their dinners, but before he could she spoke up again cutting across any reply he could make. "Also I think it's only fair that I get a say in where we have these meetings at. Unlike some people I actually have to budget my money and can't afford to blow my paycheck on one dinner."

"Well you wont be paying so it doesn't matter now then does it?"

That definitely caught her attention. Pen still poised on the paper she looked up, a mixture of annoyance and confusion on her face. "I don't take charity. I'll pay for my own meals."

"This is not negotiable Dear. I'm not one deign myself to lower standards. I only accept the best and let's be honest, you said so yourself, you can't afford it. Therefore I will pay."

He could see her gritting her teeth, wanting to argue, but he wasn't budging on this point. "It's this way, or no deal." He might be all but forcing her into these dinners and his company but he wasn't going to make her pay for it. He may be a bastard but he was at least a chivalrous bastard.

"Fine. If you want to blow your money go ahead." The words were all but spat at him as she turned her attention back to the contract. He could hear her mumbling under her breath, cursing him and calling him names and he was tempted to tell her that she was about as frightening as a newborn kitten when angered but he resisted. He really didn't feel like having her pen chucked at his head.

Eventually she reached the bottom of the contract and signed her name in a series of loops and swirls. She was glaring at him when she practically shoved the paper in his hand. He gave a quick look through of the parts that she had altered but found nothing that he couldn't live with. Taking his own pen out of his pocket he placed his signature next to her own then folded up the contract, placing it back into the pocket he pulled it from. "Very well Miss French. It seems like everything is in order."

"Indeed. Now if you don't mind, I need to get some work done." The dismissal was clear in her voice and he smirked. "Of course. Have a nice day Miss French. You too Miss Lucas, Mrs. Nolan." He gave a small nod to Belle before he made his way towards the exit. He was almost out the door when he stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I'll pick you up at seven Miss French."

"What?!"

"Well you did say we would meet on Thursday's and, in case you didn't know, today just happens to be Thursday. So I will pick you up at seven sharp. Please don't be late, I do hate to be kept waiting." He was smirking when he turned around and limped out the door. He could hear her cursing him to hell and back as the door to the library slammed shut behind him but he couldn't help but smile. These dinners were sure to be an interesting affair.

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I hope you enjoyed this. If you did please leave a review and let me know. If you didn't please leave a review and let me know why. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** This took me much longer than I originally planned, but it also turned out about 3 times longer than I originally planned. Hopefully you guys like it.

**Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT or it's characters.**

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Belle French rarely got angry. She didn't get angry when she was five and the neighbor boy threw her book of fairy tales in the mud. She didn't get angry when she was twelve and her parents wouldn't let her go to a concert she was just 'dying' to see. She didn't get angry when her mother passed away when Belle was only seventeen. She didn't get angry when just a few months after her mother's death her father uprooted them and made them move all the way across the country. She didn't get angry when she realized that even with two partial scholarships she couldn't afford to go the college she wanted. Nor did she get mad when instead of the ivy league school of her dreams she was relegated to Storybrooke Community College.

It wasn't that she couldn't get angry, because while it rare it had happened, she just didn't see the point in the emotion. Anger didn't change anything. It wouldn't make problems go away or turn back time. All anger did to her was give her a headache and sometimes indigestion. Regardless of this, as she stormed around her tiny apartment Belle French was angry.

Earlier that day Mr. Gold had come by the library with a deal in mind and contract in hand. He would allow them the use of his country club if, and only if, she agreed to go to dinner with him once a week until the gala. And because she had seen no other good option, she had agreed. Now, because she agreed for these dinners to happen on Thursdays which today was, she was storming around her apartment trying to get ready. All the while Ruby and Mary Margaret sat at her small kitchen table trying to convince her to back out of the deal.

"You know you can still get out of this Belle!" Call up Gold and say you've changed your mind. Tell him we don't want to use the country club anymore. I'm sure you can come up with something." Belle shook her head as she pulled yet another dress from her closet. She held it up to her figure, and after checking her reflection she chucked it on to the growing pile of clothes on her bed. "Rubes you know I can't do that, I signed that bloody contract. Even if I didn't, no one breaks a deal Gold."

Belle grabbed yet another outfit and when it didn't meet her satisfaction she cried out in frustration. "Will you two please help me here! I can't find a single thing to wear!" She could hear Ruby grumbling but the scrape of chairs and the sound of footsteps told her they were coming despite Ruby's protestation. When the two of them came in and saw her standing there in her bra and a half slip, clothes strewn all over the place, and took pity on her. Ruby started going through her closet, or what was left of it after Belle had massacred it, while Mary Margaret picked through what littered the bed and floor. "Why are you putting so much effort into this Belle?" Mary Margret considered a black and white sweater dress for a moment before folding it nicely and placing it on a clean section of the bed.

"You heard Gold earlier. He's not one to 'deign himself to lower standards.' We'll probably end up going to some extremely fancy and incredibly expensive restaurant with a name I have no hope of even pronouncing. I'm not going to give him a chance to mock me because I didn't fit in." A shared look of understanding passed between her two friends before they returned to their chosen tasks.

A few moments passed with everyone searching through piles of clothes before Ruby let out a triumphant noise, stumbling out of Belle's closet with a dress in hand. "What about this Belle? It would look great!" Belle regarded the lacy blue dress, trying to see it from an outside point of view. It was a short, but not too short, sleeveless, sapphire blue A-line dress with a sweetheart neckline and a sheer geometrical lace overlay and a natural waistline. It was dressy enough for any place in Storybrooke, she just hopped it was fancy enough if they left their quaint little town. There was only one problem. "Ruby it's sleeveless."

Ruby glanced at the dress and shrugged. "Yeah, so, what's your point?" Belle heaved an exasperated sigh at her best friend's blasé comment. It wasn't unusual for the taller woman to stroll about wearing the shortest of skirts or shorts even when it was below freezing outside. "In case you didn't notice Ruby, it's February. It's only 20 degrees outside, I will freeze if I wear that." Ruby looked once more at the dress in her hand, and then to the small window where they could see snow falling lightly, a frown puckering at her lips. Belle could practically see the wheels turning in Ruby's mind, trying to create an argument convincing enough to get Belle to wear the dress; and, while Ruby was happy enough to prance about in the snow half covered, Belle wasn't quite so willing to get frostbite.

However before Ruby could speak, and Belle could protest, Mary Margret let out her own sound of triumph as she unearthed a long-sleeved white cashmere bolero jacket. "You could put this with it!" Ruby's face lit up in excitement as she looked between the jacket and dress, a smile appearing on her face. "That's perfect MM! It's not like Gold's going to make you go to some pizza stand, like you said you'll probably be going to some crazy expensive restaurant. You'll only be outside for like five minutes max." Belle wanted to argue, but a glance at the clock showed she only had twenty minutes before Gold was scheduled to arrive, and she knew he wouldn't be even a minute late, she didn't have much of a choice.

Taking the dress and jacket from them and practically shoving them from the room she quickly changed. After donning on a thin tan belt, and a matching pair of peep toe heels, she only had about ten minutes left. It took about a minute and a half to run a brush through her curls and touch up her mascara. She spent another four minutes thanking Ruby and Mary Margret for their help, tell Ruby not to drink the last of her wine, grab her coat, and rush out the door. She made it down the stairs and outside the library with five minutes to spare.

She knew Gold was probably expecting her to be late so he could mock and ridicule her but she wasn't going to give him any ammunition against her. She was already being forced to go on these dinner meetings for the next eight weeks and she wasn't going to be able to do it if she would be reminded of her lack of punctuality every week. If that meant she had to stand in the snow and cold for five minutes she would happily freeze herself.

At exactly seven o'clock a car swung around the corner bathing her shivering form in light. When it silently stopped in front of her Belle didn't move a muscle, save from the twitching of her half-frozen muscles. After a moment of pause the driver's side door opened and the infamous Mr. Gold stepped out managing to look as imposing as ever despite the fact he was leaning rather heavily on his cane and after a few moments he too was shivering slightly. She was pleased to see that he did seem surprised to find her already waiting for him, although the expression only lasted for a second before the normal smug mask he usually wore fell back into place. "So eager for our meeting Miss French? And here I thought you weren't too thrilled about our little arrangement."

It was only by gritting her teeth and counting back from ten did she keep a snide comment from slipping out. She _had _to control herself. She couldn't give Gold any reason to back out of their deal. While she was pretty sure their contract was legally binding but she was also pretty sure that no lawyer in Storybrooke, or the surrounding area, would go up against him if it came down to it.

"Good evening Mister Gold. Can we go now? It happens to be rather chilly out tonight and I don't think you'll get as many answers out of a frozen librarian." Something flickered in his eyes, amusement, annoyance, or something else she couldn't decipher before he broke eye contact. "Of course Miss French. After you."

With a 'gallant' sweep of his arm he motioned for her to lead the way. She was surprised when Gold not only followed her, but then proceeded to open the passenger side door for her like they were friends or, even more unbelievably, a couple. He waited until she was seated and belted in before shutting the door and getting in himself.

The drive to the restaurant was a silent one, the only sound coming from the whispering of the vents after he turned on the heat. It didn't take her long to realize they weren't going to be dining at any of the restaurants in Storybrooke. The nicest place in town was Aristo's and Gold drove past it without even a second look. Another five minutes later showed the "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign in the Cadillac's rearview mirror. Thirty silent minutes later they were driving through Portland eventually stopping at, what appeared to be a French restaurant, called Le Château d'Or.

Everything about the restaurant screamed money. From the valet Gold ignored wearing a three-piece suit, to the crystal chandelier hanging right inside the door. Walking inside at Gold's side Belle was very glad she had taken Ruby's advice and worn the lacy dress, it was about the only thing she owned that was nice enough for a place such as this. Most of her clothes consisted of clearance rack bargains and a few thrift store finds with one or two designer named brands thrown in from birthday gifts. Her dress fell into the latter category luckily, something she would have to thank Jefferson for later.

Together they stopped briefly to check their coats before Gold was leading her through the crowd of people. With a hand hovering near the small of her back, but never touching, he escorted her past the line of people waiting to be given a table up to the hostess podium. She could see people shooting them dirty looks as they cut past all of them but she could do nothing more than be led forward. When they reached the podium where the hostess stood, making notes in her ledger, she didn't even look up while addressing them. "Bienvenue au Château d'Or. I'll be with you in just a moment." Belle was content to wait but the slight stiffening in Gold's posture indicated he wasn't as pleased at the prospect. "Of course Dearie. Please, take your time."

The hostess froze, the small yellow pencil she was using slipped from her fingers to clatter against highly polished floor. After a second she raised a shaky glance up to meet Gold's icy stare and the poor girl turned positively ashen. When she finally regained her voice a few seconds later there was no mistaking the quiver of fear in it. "Mister G-Gold! I'm so sorry, we weren't expecting you tonight! If you follow me we have your usual table prepa-"

"Oh no Dearie, that's just won't do. You see I am having a very important business meeting and so I am going to need one of your private tables, and I'm going to need it now. I do not like having to wait." The poor girl paled even further, Belle was almost afraid she would pass out from the fear, yet Gold was wearing a small smirk as if he was enjoying terrorizing the girl. As soon as she thought that Belle was almost certain he **was **getting some sort of sick thrill out of the power play. She knew that's exactly what this was, a display of power. He wanted to show off exactly how much power and control he had over people. The idea of it sickened her.

Belle already knew that Gold owned nearly all of Storybrooke; the library and, by extension, her apartment were some of the few places not under his thumb. Knowing this it didn't come to a surprise that he also owned places outside their little town too, and it was clear to her now that Gold owned this restaurant and that was why he brought her here. With even her small bit of knowledge of Gold she didn't see the need for him to try to play up his reputation as a cold-hearted beast to try to intimidate her. Unlike the hostess who was trying to explain that they didn't have any private tables available, "_I'm sorry Mister Gold but they are available by reservation only.",_ Belle wasn't afraid of pawnbroker.

To tell the truth she had never truly feared the older man like the rest of the town did. A lot of it probably had to do with the fact he didn't have any direct control over her home and life, like he had with the rest of Storybrooke. He could threaten to raise her rent or throw her out on the street if she displeased him. The library was publicly funded and any financial decisions had to go through the mayor and the city council and while Gold did hold a seat on the council but five others did too, so his word was not law. Her apartment above the library controlled by the library and was offered to the librarian if they so desired it, it's rent taken out of her pay. Because of all this, there was very little Gold could do to her.

"I'm very sorry Mr. Gold but it's your policy that the private tables are only for those with a specific prior reservation. All of our private tables are currently in use, but your usual table is available if you would like to dine now." The fearful tone in the hostess voice snapped Belle out of her own thoughts and back to their current situation.

"I already told you Dearie that my usual table isn't acceptable. Now you will get us a private table or you-"

"His usual table will do just fine please." Both pairs of eyes snapped over to her but Belle only looked at the hostess who looked like she was about three seconds from bursting into tears. She gave the girl a small comforting smile which seemed to make her relax slightly, though her eyes did still flick over to where Gold was staring confusedly at Belle. When it didn't seem like he was going to flip his lid and have her fired on the spot the hostess gave a small nod and waved forward a waitress to take them to Gold's table.

Belle let Gold and the waitress lead the way, waiting until Gold was out of earshot before whispering a hurried apology to the hostess and pressing a $20 tip into her hand for the hassle she had been through. With that situation taken care of Belle quickly followed after Gold and their waitress out of the antechamber and into the main dining room. Word apparently had traveled fast that Mr. Gold had decided to make a surprise appearance at the restaurant. The wait staff quickly got out of their way and all of them muttered a 'Good evening Sir." as the three of them passed by. The waitress led them through the main dining room into another section separated from the rest by a velvet rope, similar to the ones used in clubs to enclose the VIP section.

If she had thought the previous rooms had been the height of luxurious dining she couldn't have been more wrong. Inside this special section there were only a handful of tables each one of them beautifully set with bone china plates and more silverware than Belle knew what to do with. The napkins were even folded into a different origami masterpiece for each table. The few tables in the room were scattered far enough apart that one would be hard pressed to eavesdrop on another's conversation. It was hard to imagine why, if you could afford one of these, why anyone would even have need for the private tables.

The three of them came to a stop at a table which, at first glance, didn't seem different from any of the others save for the fact that it was located in the corner of the room. Excluding that fact it was seemingly set up just like every other table. A dark blue table-cloth adorned it and on the table itself the stark white dishes were set in full formal extravagance. The flatware shined even in the dimmed lighting, she was positive it was made of real silver and worth more than her entire apartment, furnishings included. In the middle of the table in a sparkling crystal vase was a small bouquet of white peonies, the florist's daughter in her wondered if the restaurant knew what the flowers stood for or if they used them for their appearance alone. Like the rest of the tables, sitting on the salad plate was the napkin, folded into an origami masterpiece, in their case it was a beautiful rose. Over all the only difference she could see between this table and any other was that this table's tablecloth had a small golden border. The idea that this was how they distinguished Gold's table from the others had Belle biting back a giggle.

Gold held out her chair for her and waited until she was seating before he sat down himself, his back in the corner. She watched as he scanned over the room, his gaze lingering on the only other people in the room. Sitting at a table on the other side of the room was an elderly man and a woman who appeared even younger than Belle herself. Gold gave them a distasteful look before turning to survey the rest of the restaurant. Belle realized now why Gold had chosen this table to be his usual, from his place in the corner he was able to see everyone in the room and part of the casual dining room too. He could watch everything that went on but was shrouded in shadows so people couldn't get a real look at him.

The waiter gave them their menu's, fancier ones than Belle had ever seen, and made sure their water glasses were full before departing and giving them time to ponder their choices. The first thing she noticed was that the menu options were written in French, or at least the names of the options were, the descriptions were written in English but it didn't really help because Belle still couldn't understand half of what it was describing. There were a few things that she recognized such as escargot, crème brulee, and she knew that truffles were a mushroom-y fungus type food, but most of the options were utterly foreign to her...literally. She didn't even want to try to figure out how to match wines to their food. While she generally kept a bottle of wine in her fridge it was the cheap $15 bottle she could get from Dark Star Pharmacy. When it came to proper wines she couldn't tell the difference between a Bordeaux from a Merlot.

The next problem she came across were the prices, they were outrageous. Despite her earlier agreement with Gold she had no real intention of letting him pay for her meals. Doing so would make her as if she was in his debt, which is probably what he wanted. No, she had planned on paying her own way even if her back account cried at just the thought. Looking at the prices, however, she knew she was in trouble. They wanted $20 for vegetable soup alone! Belle had expected to spend about $50-$60 in total, but that was the average price of just the main course. If she went with the cheapest option for each course she'd still be spending near $200. There was simply no way she could afford it, and one look at Gold proved what she had already assumed. This was exactly what he had intended.

Gold was staring at her unabashedly, not even bothering to pretend otherwise, smugness radiating off his person and a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. She wanted to walk out on him, to hell with their deal, and find another place for the gala but she couldn't. She already knew that there weren't any other places in Storybrooke they could use. So despite how much she wanted to leave him sitting there alone she couldn't. She had to stay, even if it meant putting up with Gold's egotistical, better-than-you, attitude. Belle forced her to keep a straight face and promised herself she would remain civil as she returned his stare. "I can't afford this Gold."

"I'm well aware of that fact Miss French."

"Mr. Gold I don't feel comfortable with you spending such an exorbitant amount on one dinner for me."

"Alas that is too bad. We are already here and, need I remind you, you signed a contract. I will be paying for this, and all other meals we share for the durration of our deal."

"Mr. Gold I don't-"

"Are you two ready to order or did you need a few more minutes to look over your menus?"

Both Belle and Gold glared at the interrupting waitress, she a little less harshly, who blanched slightly but held her ground. Gold held the girl's gaze a moment longer before turning to look at Belle with one eyebrow raised, letting her answer the question. Biting back a snappish comment towards Gold Belle forced a small smile. "Yes we're ready." It wasn't the truth, Belle still wasn't sure what she was going to do, but the sooner this night was over the better.

Silence stretched out for a moment before Belle realized that Gold and the waitress were both waiting for her to order first. While her cheeks flushed pink Belle glanced at the menu one last time and quickly chose the least expensive option for each course. A voice in the back of her mind, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Ruby, said she should have done the exact opposite and ordered the most expensive option if the jerk was going to insist on paying. However, regardless of her feelings towards Gold, she still didn't feel comfortable with him paying for her. It made their business dinner feel like a date, a thought that made her cringe.

After Gold placed his own order, surprising her by choosing middle menu items instead of the top-notch ones she expected, the waitress took asked if they wanted to share a bottle of the house wine. Belle was more than willing to accept, needing a drink desperately at this point, but Gold interrupted her. "Oh no, we won't be drinking that swill. We will have a bottle of your best Bordeaux." The waitress nodded and quickly departed leaving them alone once more, this time without their menus to distract Belle from Gold's stare.

To try to put off contact Belle let her own gaze sweep over the room once more but with nothing but the other couple in the room to keep her attention she was ultimately drawn back to her companion. However when she finally steeled herself to meet Gold's eyes he wasn't watching her, he was once again looking at the couple across the room. Disgust was clear on his face as the older man was spooning something chocolate into his young companion's mouth and Belle was half afraid Gold was going to kick the unsuspecting pair from the restaurant if she didn't step in. "If you don't like the house wine why do you let them serve it? I mean if you own the restaurant why don't you just take it off the menu?"

Well she definitely drew his attention. His head swiveled around and, for the first time, she seemed to have caught him off guard. No longer did he seem smug or disdainful, instead he seemed surprised by her question. After a moment where she wondered if he was even going to bother answering her random question he replaced the confusion with his normal blank demeanor.

"I own four restaurants Miss French. They run from fine dining like this one here to hole in the wall family businesses such as Granny's back in Storybrooke. If I were to give my input into one restaurant I would then be expected to give it to all of them. That's what I hired a manager for. They then are in charge of hiring a competent chef and together they create a menu, or in Granny's case where she is both the manager and the cook she created her own menu. I have little interest in the culinary arts, I am simply interested in making money. While I would never torture my palate with such a poor quality wine there are others who aren't as knowledgeable about wine and would find that swill exquisite and would happily pay $60 on a sub par wine, especially when it's introduced as the 'house special.' However I don't believe we are here to talk about how I run my businesses Miss French, I believe we are here to discuss the details of your little party."

"It's not a 'little party' Mr. Gold. It's not going to be a bunch of young kids getting together and drinking until they can't walk straight. It is the Storybrooke Literary Gala. It is a formal event to help raise awareness of our declining literacy rates. The money raised by the event will go to the advancement and expansion of our public and school libraries. This will give us the opportunity to hold literacy events such as book clubs and night classes. Now does that sound much like a 'little party' to you Mr. Gold."

Gold held up his hand in surrender even as he still had a bit of a smirk. "I apologize Miss French. I didn't realize how passionate about this you were."

"A librarian passionate about literacy, yes that must have come as quite a shock."

Gold started to reply but for once he was the one cut off as their waitress arrived with their starter course. The conversation came to a halt as her vegetable soup and Gold's lobster salad were placed before them. Belle was pleasantly surprised that their food was delivered so quickly, but then again when the client was your boss you wanted to make sure you proved the best possible service. Despite how prompt their service was Gold still didn't look happy, apparently nothing pleased the curmudgeon.

Belle watched Gold as they ate together in silence and his expression never wavered from complete disinterest. She knew it couldn't be because the food wasn't great because, even though her refrigerator contained mostly takeout boxes from Granny's, even Belle could tell the food was incredible. She had never been much of a foodie, most times Ruby and/or Mary Margaret had to remind her to eat because she was so invested in her books or work that not even her own hunger could break through, but she could still recognize quality when she had it.

Observing Gold close and tried to read past the make he presented to the world, but it was impenetrable. Every once in a while he'd look up from his food over to the couple sitting across the room and she thought she recognized the slightest trace of distaste. When the conversation the couple was having changed into the young woman leaning across the table to kiss her paramour even Belle had to roll her eyes, Gold on the other hand looked like he was again considering the benefits of having the two escorted from the restaurant. While Belle didn't really care for the displays of affection she also didn't think it warranted their removal so it was apparently up to her to save them once again. "Are they friends of yours gold?" She found it hard to picture Gold having friends but it was obvious he knew this couple some how.

Gold tore his gaze away from the couple, facing her with the disgusted sneer he seemed to have patented. "Hardly Miss French. I have had business with him upon occasion is all."

"Who is he?"

"That happens to be William Pratt, the CEO of Pratt's Railways, and the child with him is Brittney Summers. She's 22, still in college, and he just left his wife of 26 years, Dru, for her. He's also 28 years her senior."

Okay she understood now why he wore his distaste so openly now, not that she'd admit to that and have to hear him gloat. "Who cares if there's an age difference if they're in love?"

Gold let out a cold laugh, apparently find humor in her serious statement. "Oh I'm sure there is something she loves about him. It's called is wallet Miss French." Their waitress chose this moment to come back and exchanged their empty dishes for their main courses and wine stalling her from snapping back at him. When the waitress finally was out of earshot she turned her attention to Gold who was rudely ignoring her in favor of pouring them wine. "You don't know that Gold! I'm sure they're truly in love."

"You've read too many books Dearie! This isn't one of your silly romances where everyone finds true love and gets a happy ending! This is real life and the only thing that girls sees in him is his bank account. Twoo wuv has nothing to do with it."

Belle was furious. She couldn't understand how he could say something so course about something as beautiful as love, all while sipping on a glass of wine as if he had no care in the world. Belle wasn't stupid she knew not everyone believed in love but for him to put it so harshly pushed her buttons. While not everyone believed in it, and not all found it, true love was a beautiful thing, not something to be mocked and scoffed at. She had seen true love before, every time she caught her parents looking at each other she could see the love they shared, and she had always hoped to find it herself. And just because a couple may seem unconventional didn't mean they couldn't truly love and care for each other. For Gold to so easily brush off the thought of love felt like an insult to all that Belle knew and believed. "Have you never been in love before Gold?"

Gold froze, the speared piece of fancy steak on his fork hanging midair. Something flickered in his eyes, pain, anger, sadness, she didn't know but it lasted only a moment before disappearing. "I do believe the reason for our dinner is for you to enlighten me with the details of this literary gala, not to ask me questions."

Hypocrite. Bigot. Beast. He was more than happy to comment and judge others for how they lived their lives but he shut down at the first question sent his way. It infuriated her! The feeling from before to just leave him came back with a vengeance, and the look on Gold's face as he ate his special little steak thingy suggested he knew exactly what she was thinking and expected her to follow through with her thoughts. But as much as she wanted to Belle couldn't she had to play nice. The results of these dinners didn't just affect her, it affected Mary Margaret, the school, the library and many others. She couldn't just think for herself, she had to think, and act, on the best interest for everyone. So instead of up turning her glass of the restaurant's "best Bordeaux" over Mr. Gold's head and enjoying watching it ruin his, no doubt crazy expensive suit, Belle devoted her attention to her plate and tried to calm down.

She pushed around her lamb, occasionally nibbling on the vegetables that had come with her meal, but not really eating much. It was all delicious but with all the anger still rolling in her stomach she didn't think the lamb was a great idea, no matter how delicious it smelt. Gold apparently had no problem eating, and didn't miss for a second that she wasn't.

"Is there something wrong with your lamb Miss French? I'm sure Chef Laurent would just love to hear your professional critique if it's not up to your standards."

He was mocking her again, it was evident in the cold mirth behind his eyes and the smirk showing on his lips, and it made her anger flare up again. Despite the new desire to toss said lamb into his face she deliberately held his gaze as she cut off a piece of the lamb and ate it. After swallowing it she raised an eyebrow towards him. "Are you happy now?"

"Ecstatic."

"Don't leap for joy. It'd be just terrible if you hurt yourself."

"I didn't know you felt so strongly about my health and welfare Miss French. I'm touched."

"Oh I have a lot strong feelings for you Mr. Gold."

"Do you truly Miss French?

"Oh yes. Annoyance. Anger. Distrust. I'm just full of them."

"Distrust? You wound me Miss French! Have I give any reason to distrust me?"

"Yes."

"Pray tell then."

Belle stared at him for a moment, pretending to think up a reason for her distrust, before shrugging and turning her attention back to her lamb, looking up occasionally to find him still watching her. Only when she finally saw the first strains of annoyance in his features did she set down her fork and give him her full attention.

"Well Miss French, are you going to enlighten me with the source of your distrust in me?"

"Answer me this. Why did you agree to let us use the country club Mr. Gold?"

Gold stared at her, his lips pressed into a thin tight line and said nothing just like she expected. Giving a dry chuckle she took another bite of her lamb.

"That's where my distrust stems from. You wont answer the simplest of my questions then how can I trust you or your motives? If you want me to trust you then answer the question. Why did you change your mind?"

"Miss French I do believe we've already stated that we are here to discuss your event, not for you to pry me with your questions."

"Yes you've mentioned that but you have expressed little interest in the Gala so far. You've seemed much more interested in harassing the staff, staring down that couple, and being a pain in my rear than discussing the only reason why I agreed to this deal. So why should I focus on the topic when you don't? How come you can question me but when I ask you anything you shut down and claim that we need to focus on the reason we're here...and then you don't."

Silence. Gold stared at her and she stared back, she wasn't going to be the one to back down this time. If he wanted to play games she was more than happy to show him what she could play just as well as him. Eventually he was the one to break their gaze, turning to look at his meal. Belle gripped her wine glass so tight that she was surprised it didn't shatter in her hand. She was close to saying damn the country club and dump the wine over his head when he spoke without looking at her. "Is there going to be a dinner at this gala?"

Belle blinked in surprise, apparently he had finally taken her comments to heart. "Yes, Granny is being gracious enough to provide us with the meals."

"Tch. Hamburgers and lasagna? I thought this was going to be a formal event Miss French? Your attendees won't be too pleased if they pay an exorbitant amount for this event only to dine on the same passable food they eat for lunch everyday."

"Well it's a good thing Granny wont be serving her usual meals then. The tentative menu so far is chicken cordon bleu or filet mignon served with roasted baby potatoes and seasonal vegetables. During the dinner there will be a selection of red and white wines and later Ruby will open the bar for use."

"And you are confident in Ms. Lucas and her granddaughter's abilities to provide a fine dining experience? I have a caterer and a bartender who would help you out if you wished, for a price."

"No thank you Mr. Gold"

"And why not Dearie? Surely you would prefer to have a professional and not Ms. Lucas and her flaky granddaughter."

"First of all, do not insult my friends. Ruby is not a flake, she is one of the best people I know. Secondly both Granny and Ruby are professionals. Granny attended a culinary institute in Boston when she was younger and graduated top of her class and Ruby is a certified, and experienced, mixologist. Thirdly Mary Margaret and I are on a very limited budget so we can't afford 'professional' help. Granny and Ruby are being kind enough to provide us their services for nothing more than free entrance into the gala."

"If it's money you're worried about Miss French, I'm sure we could make a deal to help ease things along."

"I've already made one deal with you, that's more than enough. I will stick with Granny and Ruby."

"So loyal Miss French."

Disdain colored his voice his voice and she could see the amusement on his face. Apparently her loyalty had struck a chord with him.

"Is loyalty such a bad thing?"

"I guess we'll see after your little party."

"It's not a little party."

"I know."

He flashed an infuriating smirk, he was purposely winding her up, trying to provoke her, but she wasn't going to rise to the bait. Instead of replying she returned her attention to her near empty plate. Gold cleared his throat, trying to grab her attention, but she kept her eyes downcast. When he started tapping his fingers impatiently on the table Belle had to bite back a grin.

"Miss French."

Belle smirked and finally met his stare. "Yes Mr. Gold? Is there something you'd like?" His lips pressed into a thin line again, a sign she now recognized as annoyance, and seemed to be holding back a snide comment. After a moment he regained his calm composure.

"Miss French would you care to enlighten me with any more details of your little par-I mean your literary gala"

"I'd love to, except most decisions have yet to be finalized."

"So unprepared?"

"Hardly. Since we didn't even have permission to use a facility until about 8 hours ago it's hardly possible for us to have everything decided. We did decide that the gala will take place on the second Saturday of April. It won't have a theme, and we have a tentative menu. The rest we are still working on."

Gold watched her for a moment before nodding begrudgingly "I suppose that will do for now, but I do expect you'll have more to share with me next week."

"Of course Mister Gold."

Both fell silent once more, the only thing breaking up the quiet was the scrape of their silverware as they finished off their meals. Even the waitress kept silent when she brought their desserts. With the meal coming to a close Belle's mind was drawn back to the matter of the check once more, making it hard for her to enjoy the crème brulee she had ordered. She knew her meal had to be close to $100 if not more. She knew she had $60 cash in her clutch plus her debit card. While she did have the money to pay for herself it was all budgeted out for bills and living costs. Her only spare money was the cash she had already pulled out meaning if she did use her card the money would come out of her grocery or electricity money.

However if she kept to eating Ramen soups for the next two or three nights, or possibly the next week, she would be okay. Plus she still had some left over Granny's take out in her fridge so it's not like she would starve, she just wouldn't be full. But it wasn't like she hadn't gone through worse when she was in college.

Belle was so wrapped up in her thoughts that when the check actually came she didn't even notice until Gold had given them his credit card and was sending the waitress away. Furious at his actions, Belle barely kept her voice at a normal level when she spoke. "I planned on paying for myself Mr. Gold."

"That's ridiculous Miss French. You said yourself that you can't afford to pay, remember? And, if you forgot, it is part of the deal, the one you agreed to and signed, that I would take care of the cost of all meals."

"Forget the deal! You can't expect me to let you pay hundreds of dollars each week for my meal."

"I do, and I will."

"That's ridiculous! I can pay for myself!"

"How exactly will you do that? Miss French, if you forgot, I am part of the town council. The same one that decided your salary. I know exactly how much you make Miss French. There is no way you can afford to pay for yourself week after week. The deal was made. I pay. End of discussion."

Angry tears stung at her eyes threatening to spill over but Belle held them back. She wasn't going to let Gold see her cry no matter what the reason. When the waitress brought back the receipt Gold quickly took it and signed his last name in a neat scrawl.

With the bill paid Belle stood and grabbed her clutch, ready to get this evening over. Gold copied her at a leisurely pace and while waiting for him to be read to go Belle snuck a glance at the check and noticed something odd. "You're not going to leave a tip?"

Gold looked up in surprise and gave a small shrug. "Why should I?"

"Because it's the fair thing to do!"

"Miss French I already pay their salaries and I've paid the check, I do believe that's more than fair."

Belle wanted to be surprised but thinking back she couldn't ever recall seeing Gold tip anyone. Not Ruby, not the other staff at Granny's, not even the man who had checked their coats. Opening up her clutch Belle pulled out the $60 she had planned on using and slid it in with the receipt.

"Miss French just what do you think you're doing?"

"You're a smart man Mr. Gold. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"I thought we agreed that you weren't paying."

"First of all I didn't agree, you left me no choice. Second of all you never said anything about me paying the tip."

"You can't afford that."

"Mister Gold you may know, and control, how much I make. But you can't control how I spend it. Nobody decides my fate, or forces my decisions, but me."

On that note Belle did what she had thought about all night. She turned on her heel and walked off leaving Gold standing there alone. She knew she would have to wait for him at the car and endure the ride home with him, but it was all worth it to see his shocked face before she walked away.

Dinner one was over. Only seven more to go.

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That's all for this chapter! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!


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